All inaugural Hullo ferry sailings between Nanaimo and Vancouver cancelled

All of the inaugural voyages of Hullo, a new high-speed passenger ferry service between Nanaimo and Vancouver, were cancelled Monday due to weather concerns.

Initially, Hullo Ferries scrapped the sailings scheduled for 6 a.m. from Nanaimo and 8 a.m. from Vancouver, citing gale force winds across the Straight of Georgia and power outages in Nanaimo. In an update Monday afternoon, the company’s website noted all sailings scheduled for Aug. 14, were being scrapped due to wind.

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Related links:

• B.C. ferry company Hullo announces launch date

• Fast ferries arrive in Nanaimo ahead of Hullo launch next month

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“Due to last night’s city-wide power outages causing a loss of power to the berth and to the vessels, we are running an impact assessment across all our vessel systems to ensure the absolute safety and reliability of our operations,” the company said in an earlier statement.

“Due to the power outages experienced late last night that caused a loss of power to the berth and to the vessels, in addition to the strong wind conditions, our crew has made the decision to cancel all sailings for the remainder of the day,” Hullo said in its updated post just after 3 p.m.

“Safety and reliability remain our North Star at Hullo. While we recognize the anticipation and excitement surrounding our early sailings, our commitment to ensuring an impeccably safe voyage for our passengers is unwavering. As Hullo sets its course in these initial months, we are adopting a deliberately conservative stance, with the safety and well-being of our passengers steering our decisions.”

A Wind Warning was in effect as of 10:30 a.m. Monday, with Environment and Climate Change Canada expecting winds ranging from 20 to 30 knots into Tuesday.

While the winds will die down slightly Wednesday, the week-long ECCC forecast has winds ranging from 15 to 30 knots until Friday.

Speaking to CityNews in downtown Vancouver Monday morning, would-be Hullo passenger Bronwen Bell says she was “really excited” to sail with Hullo, explaining that she didn’t want to travel with BC Ferries.

“I thought, ‘Perfect. 12 o’clock — is gonna get me there by 1:30, I’ll be at the house, on the beach by 2 p.m. Now I’m not gonna get there ’til about four or five and I’ve got to make an extra trip and I’ve got to pay extra money for an Uber,” she explained about now having to get a BC Ferries sailing to Nanaimo.

Bell says as she lives part-time on Vancouver Island and part-time in downtown Vancouver, the potential Hullo service is “amazing.”

“It’s ‘boom.’ It’s right here. It’s super quick for me to get here. The (Hullo) ferry is faster. It’s just going to be much more of an enjoyable experience — I thought,” she said.

“Hopefully in the future, it will be, but it looks like today we’re back on BC Ferries.”

Hullo plans to offer four fast-ferry sailings a day in each direction, between the Nanaimo Port Authority and Vancouver Harbour Flight Centre, with an additional three sailings expected to be added each way, bringing the sailings per day up to seven.

The company estimates travel time between its two ports to be about 70 minutes, which it says is almost 30 minutes faster than a BC Ferries service from Horseshoe Bay.

Hullo says affected  passengers will be refunded, adding anyone with questions or concerns can contact the company directly.

– With files from Hana Mae Nassar and Angela Bower